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% THE GLASS FACTORY. %
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/~-....... SEVERAL CENTURIES AFTER IT HAD LAST .......-~/
%/~-...... BELONGED TO US, WE WENT ON AN OUTING TO ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... THE GLASS FACTORY THAT BORE OUR FAMILY .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... NAME. IT HAD CHANGED OWNERS MANY TIMES ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... SINCE OUR ANCESTORS DEATH, AND THEN ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. STOOD ABANDONED FOR A LONG WHILE. ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. FINALLY, THE NATURAL END STATION FOR .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. THE BUILDINGS THAT SURVIVE: A MUSEUM, ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... AND A GIFT SHOP. ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... THERE'S A LONG TIME SINCE MY FAMILY .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... MADE ANYTHING. BY MANY, WE WOULD BE ......-~/%
/~-....... CONSIDERED POOR. .......-~/
~-........ ........-~
-......... THERE ARE TWO MAIN FACTORY BUILDINGS, .........-
.......... DOMED THINGS OF SEVERAL FLOORS, MADE IN ..........
-......... YELLOW BRICK. LARGE BUT NARROW WINDOWS, .........-
~-........ REMINESCENT OF SOME CATHEDRAL. ........-~
/~-....... CUSTOM-MADE GLASS, OF COURSE, LARGE AND .......-~/
%/~-...... LEADED, AND ASHEN. A BIT TOO DARK TO BE ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... PRACTICAL. ON THE EASTERN BUILDING, .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... SOME ARE SHATTERED. ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. THE OTHER ONE IS PUBLICLY OPEN. THERE'S ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. A MUSEUM, WITH WAX FIGURES OF MY GREAT .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. GREAT GREAT GRANDFATHER, OR SOMETHING. ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... VARIOUS TOOLS (OR REPLICAS) LAID OUT ON ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... TABLES, WITH EXPLAINING TEXTS. A LOT OF ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... GLASS OF VARYING THICKNESS. .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... ......-~/%
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~-........ ........-~
/~-....... I QUICKLY SNEAK OUT, AND CLIMB INTO THE .......-~/
%/~-...... OTHER BUILDING. THE CONTRAST IS ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... OVERWHELMING. IT MUST HAVE STOOD .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... DERELICT FOR A LONG TIME, WINDOWS ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... BROKEN, METALLIC TRASH AND POOLS OF ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. DARK GLASS ALL OVER THE FLOOR. NO ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. ELECTRIC LIGHTS, BUT I CAN SEE BY THE .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. LIGHT THAT SHINES IN WHEREVER THE DARK ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... WINDOWS ARE MISSING A PANE. ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... HOWEVER, THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE IS THE .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... HIGHER FLOORS: THIS BUILDING HAS NONE. ......-~/%
/~-....... IT IS ONE MASSIVE HALL, STRETCHING AWAY .......-~/
~-........ INFINITELY ABOVE ME. SOMEWHERE UP THERE ........-~
-......... IS SOME GREAT IRON LATTICEWORK, FROM .........-
.......... WHERE CHAINS ARE SUSPENDED, AND PARTS ..........
-......... OF MACHINERY HAS BEEN FALLING DOWN. .........-
~-........ ........-~
/~-....... THERE IS, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GREAT .......-~/
%/~-...... HALL, A THIN SPIRAL STAIRCASE THAT ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... LEADS UP THERE. I SNEAK OVER THERE, AND .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... TAKE A FEW RELUCTANT STEPS. AFTER JUST ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... A REVOLUTION, I NOTICE THAT FOR EACH ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. STEP THE BUILDING STARTS TO GLOW, THE ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. BRICKS TURNING A DARK RED, AND THEN .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. ORANGE, ALL THE PILED UP DEBREE BEING ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... LIT FROM BEHIND. ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... I STOP READY TO RUN DOWN AND OUT, BUT .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE ON THE STAIRCASE ......-~/%
/~-....... WITH ME NOW, PRESSED CLOSE. HE'S .......-~/
~-........ LOOKING LIKE ME, SHORT HAIR AND THIN ........-~
-......... ARMS, BUT WITH EARS FROM SOME ANIMAL, .........-
.......... AND MORE DISTURBINGLY, COMPLETELY MADE ..........
-......... OF DARK LIQUID GLASS. .........-
~-........ ........-~
/~-....... %% .......-~/
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¤%/~-..... ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... %% %% ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... %% ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. MY FEAR HOLDS ME IN PLACE WHILE HE .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. STARTS OPERATING LEVERS AND DIALS SET ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... IN THE CENTER OF THE STAIRCASE. SLOWLY, ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... IT STARTS SPINNING, CIRCLING UPWARDS. ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... IT'S AN ELEVATOR! I START TO RUN .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... DOWNWARDS, BUT NOW THE LIQUID BOY ......-~/%
/~-....... CREATURE GRABS HOLD OF ME. I TRY TO .......-~/
~-........ SHAKE HIM OFF, BUT HE'S TOO STRONG, AND ........-~
-......... PULLS ME BACK UP BESIDE HIM. .........-
.......... ..........
-......... THIS TIME, I TURN ANGRY INSTEAD. WHAT .........-
~-........ THE HELL? WHO IS THIS GUY, ACTING LIKE ........-~
/~-....... THIS? I REACH OUT MY FREE ARM AND SLAM .......-~/
%/~-...... A RANDOM LEVER. SOME METAL BAR IS ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... SUDDENLY RELEASED BETWEEN US, HITTING .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... HIM ON THE ARM, FORCING MY RELEASE. I ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... SHOVE HIM OFF OF ME, AND HE FALLS INTO ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. THE LEVERS, MESSING THEM UP. ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. IMMEDIATELY, A THIN RUSTY CHAINMAIL .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. CURTAIN IS DROPPED AROUND ME. BUT THE ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... ELEVATOR ALSO SPEEDS UP SIGNIFICANTLY. ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... THE WALLS ARE FLARING NOW, YELLOW, .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... WHITE, ALMOST BLUE. I CLOSE MY EYES AND ......-~/%
/~-....... CURL INTO A BALL. BUT THEN, THE GLASS .......-~/
~-........ BOY SCREAMS, A PIERCING SOUND THAT ........-~
-......... FORCES MY EYES BACK OPEN. I WATCH AS HE .........-
.......... BECOMES TOO LIQUID, HIS BODY POOLING ..........
-......... DOWN IN HIS NOW MASSIVE TAIL, AND THE .........-
~-........ TIP OF IT SUDDENLY BREAKS OF IN A GLASS ........-~
/~-....... DROP THAT FALLS TOWARD THE FACTORY .......-~/
%/~-...... FLOOR. ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... HE'S CRAWLING ON THE STAIRS, UNABLE TO ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... KEEP HIS BODY UPRIGHT. CAN'T REACH THE ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. LEVERS, CLAWS AT MY CHAINMAIL CAGE, ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. WHILE HIS BODY IS TURNING INTO DARK .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. PEARLS. FINALLY, HE'S LOST TOO MUCH OF ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... HIMSELF AND THE SCREAM IS CUT SHORT. ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... THE LAST OF HIM RAINS DOWN. ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... I STILL CAN'T REACH THE LEVERS FROM ......-~/%
/~-....... WITHIN MY CAGE. LOOKING UP, I TRY TO .......-~/
~-........ MAKE OUT THE CEILING, BUT IT'S ALL A ........-~
-......... WHIRLING SEA OF COLOURS. BELOW ME GLOWS .........-
.......... THE HELLFIRE OF THE FACTORY WALLS, BUT ..........
-......... VERY FAINT. I SIT DOWN, CURL BACK UP, .........-
~-........ BECOME STILL. ........-~
/~-....... .......-~/
%/~-...... %% ......-~/%
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£@¤%/~-... %% %% ...-~/%¤@£
#£@¤%/~-.. %% ..-~/%¤@£#
##£@¤%/~-. .-~/%¤@£##
#£@¤%/~-.. A LARGE CLUNK SHAKES MY ENTIRE BODY, ..-~/%¤@£#
£@¤%/~-... AND SNAPS ME BACK INTO REALITY. I'M ...-~/%¤@£
@¤%/~-.... BACK AT THE FACTORY FLOOR, BUT THE ....-~/%¤@
¤%/~-..... STAIRS ARE STILL MOVING SLIGHTLY, .....-~/%¤
%/~-...... CLICKING IN PLACE, CARRYING ME THE LAST ......-~/%
/~-....... FEW CENTIMETERS. I CAME FROM BELOW, .......-~/
~-........ SOMEHOW. THE CHAINMAIL IS RETRACTED, ........-~
-......... AND I SLOWLY DISMOUNT THE STAIRS. .........-
.......... ..........
-......... SHAKING AND CRYING, I MAKE MY WAY OVER .........-
~-........ THE FACTORY FLOOR, WADING THROUGH DARK ........-~
/~-....... GLASS MARBLES. A QUICK GLANCE DOWN, AND .......-~/
%/~-...... I SEE THERE'S SOMETHING FAINT INSIDE ......-~/%
¤%/~-..... THEM. EMBRYOS? ARE THESE EGGS? .....-~/%¤
@¤%/~-.... ....-~/%¤@
£@¤%/~-... I SHUDDER, AND CLIMB BACK OUT. ...-~/%¤@£
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